Growing Personally

Many years ago God gave us a serious financial challenge. The loss of money I didn’t mind so much but I struggled with the insecurity of being in that situation. I had been working toward purchasing my first house since I was seventeen. I felt it was my responsibility as a man; that is what I’d been taught.

God’s objective is the rearrangement of our life’s priorities, for our trust and security is in Him. I think He needed to show me that my value and worth is found in Him and not in an asset-based “net worth.”

What I found also was that the change brought me into a certain fear of God. Psalm 55:19

I become awed, dependent and reverent before him as we were now out on a limb because of this change. What I also found was a new focus on the things of God, a change of direction for my affections. I’d come home at night and have nothing but God, my wife and my family to love.

Everyone wants a brighter future but they think it can happen without change. It is a fantasy to believe you can have a different future unless something changes in your life now. We want the promise but not the process. We may want a house with a better view, but we don't want to change. A better job, but we don't want the pain of change. Israel had wanted the Promised Land, but not enough to change their unbelief to faith.

Friend, every good thing God has for you, is on the other side of change.

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The woman in Samaria knew she needed to change but it took Jesus to bring her to a breakthrough moment. It was a bit embarrassing and a bit frightening but what a change it made. The events that brought the woman caught in adultery to Jesus was something she never planned at all, maybe she hoped she would never be discovered but she was, in the end, indebted to the circumstances that finally bought change to her life.

We don’t usually invite change into our life, but it happens anyway. Sometimes it helps us get unstuck. Zacchaeus the taxman was stuck in his life. He thought he could never be accepted or respected, but Jesus changed his life. Paul was stuck in religion.

I think of Jacob; a mummy’s boy who needed to grow up. His mother dressed him and told him what to do till he was probably 40! He was the boy who liked to stay at home with mum. He was the first metro-sexual. His mother told him what to say and when his mother said to lie to his father, he did just that. He loved God I guess, but life was all about him. He needed to grow up and stand strong in God. After seven years of serving his father in -law to be, he was tricked into taking the older daughter before he is given the one he really loved. Laban, the father in law also changed his wages seven times. But God was helping him to overcome his insecurity and to become a prince that could wrestle with a man and finally God himself. He was setting Jacob up for his destiny.
Friend, maybe you're stuck in something and it will take the changes that Gods wants, to bring your release.

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Now we have Christ the King of righteousness reigning in our spirit, what is the place of king sin in the flesh? When the godless flesh was destroyed the king of sin and death lost his domain and our soul continues as a tutor. The fleshly body and members are undecided who to live for. He will back up whoever feeds him. If you feed you eyes and mind immoral films you will resurrect its sinful power but if you feed it with the word of God and all things godly, the body will serve the king of righteousness in your spirit.
Though our unregenerate nature was to follow sin, fortunately, there are moderating influences in people to more or less degrees. It’s called a brain. People don’t fully give in to the sin because they think of the consequences most times. The undisciplined body is prone to sin because the fleshly body men live in on earth, is interested in three things. Sex, food and comfort. If your body is king it will give instructions to your soul like "let’s watch some dirty movies or tv" Our body must keep a slave. The body doesn’t know Gods rules so it has to be totally controlled by the spirit led soul.

Unless a person’s soul has been trained by their parents and the Word of God they often just let their body do what it wants and they find themselves giving away their virginity to some person there may never see again. A married man’s body is still wanting to look at another woman. Our body doesn’t understand marital covenants, so we can’t let it have its way.

It will also be saying stop here at this takeaway bar and get some more food in spite of the fact you just had lunch two hours ago.

Your body must be trained and disciplined not to eat all the time. Sex sin happens when people can’t control the body’s sexual appetite. Eating is gluttony when people can’t control their eating habits. Don't have to be fat just have to give in to appetites every time you feel hungry. Make your body wait! It is part of the parent’s job to train their child to control their bodies appetite for food.

Friend, your body will be saying that you’re too tired to go to the homegroup and prayer meeting tonight and that you should take your ease. You need some comfort. You can’t go that hot room or the room is too cold and the seats are too hard. Your body keeps yelling till it’s satisfied so it must be told what to do - it must now become a slave to the King of righteousness within us.

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Our spirit is to lead our soul and body. If your soul is ruling it will be telling you to do whatever your emotions feel like doing. Emotions and feelings are so fickle. One day you love your job the next day you hate your job. You love your husband then you don't like your husband.
You don't feel like praying today. You don’t feel like going to church. we can not live successfully by the soul and emotions and our moods. Few would go to work! God is not moody. God does not get an attitude. Attitudes are soulish. Attitudes are an adult pout. If we don’t get what we want. We think we deserve to be angry with that husband. we delight tot hold a grudge etc.

The soul will control you with fear and self-consciousness. You are too embarrassed to speak for Christ at work. You mean I need to go and apologize? I might feel embarrassed.

Answer an altar call? I might feel funny. Begin to dance about the front? ill feel self-conscious.
But we are designed not to do what we feel like doing, but to do what is right Obey God and your right decisions will produce the right feelings.

Friend, to follow God we need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead our spirit in God’s way and bring our soul and body into line with the leading of the Holy Spirit.

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As Jesus walked slowly through the town “A leper came and worshipped him saying if you are willing you can make me clean.” To encounter Jesus in worship you have to come to Him. He came to worship; he came focused and determined. It was premeditated; I will worship. He didn’t say now that the music is slow and they are playing the songs I like. He worshipped him saying. “You can make me clean.”

When we worship we are always saying something out of our heart. The heart and the mouth speaks. Sometimes we think that worship is not a vocal but is quiet. Of course, praise is never quiet; praise is always expressive, whereas worship could be quiet; but still, every worshipper is saying something. The leper worshipped Jesus by saying make me clean- not make the famous, rich or even employed but make me clean. To encounter Jesus in worship our first need is not understand me or even please forgive me but please cleanse me. That’s repentance! We can ask for forgiveness and never want to give up our sin and be clean. But the voice from the heart of a worshipper says wash me clean.

Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Mat 8:3
Friends, If purity is the desire of our hearts it is likely that we will encounter Jesus consistently. And we never have to question whether Jesus is willing to make us clean. If we cry out to be clean - He will touch us immediately.

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The book of Romans describes the reign of two kings who seek to rule in our lives. There is a king of sin and death and the King righteousness and Life
As believers, King sin used to reign in our dead and mortal body but now King righteousness reigns in His domain which is our spirit and our mortal body now quickened by His spirit.
We are a spirit who possesses a mind (soul) and who lives in a body.
You’re a spirit being. We are made in God’s image. With our spirit, we contact the spirit world. With the mind, we contact the world of thoughts and with the body, we make contact with the physical world. The world only seeks to develop the soul and mind and body. So university professors can’t stay married. They can become educated idiots. Bodybuilders with perfect bodies, can’t cope with life and may jump off bridges.

Mankind can’t be normal until they live by the Spirit. The Spirit is to give the orders and tell us how to live. The mind/soul is the servant and needs the education to know what to do and how to act. And the body is a slave needing to be told what to do. Its voice needs to be judged for its legitimacy.

Friend, before we were believer there was no King righteousness reigning, only king sin reigning in our life. The King of righteousness and Jesus now lives in our spirit, soul and our body. Let’s walk in the spirit and allow the King of Righteousness to rule in every part of our life.

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Credibility among those we serve is important. Credibility takes time to gain but can be lost in a moment. Credibility is gained when we are consistent in character.

If we find ourselves secretly wishing we could be recognized more, like Judas who as part of the team was more mindful of his area of service than the good of the whole team our credibility is in danger

If we won’t allow another person to hold a different point of view from ours, we’re not giving them the same dignity we demand ourselves. Or if we are envious when they are “promoted” in the fellowship, perhaps it’s time to humble ourselves before God again and remember that He will promote us in due time.

Perhaps our insecurity is crying out. The insecure get security from what they do, not who they are. These people need a greater revelation of the Father so they can grow in security. Most believers are not villains: in the body of Christ, there are no heroes and no villains.

When we recognize a lack of godly attitude or lack of character we need to go back to Jesus and ask Him to live through us again.
Friend, conflicts are opportunities to develop or destroy your credibility as a leader or as a believer. Remember ministry is based on credibility. If we have little credibility with people we will have a little ministry to people. As credibility grows our true authority grows.

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Paul writes to the believers at Philippi “I’m in prison but God is at work. I’m not preaching around the nations, but God is at work and so I’m confident that God is at work in your life too, no matter how difficult your life seems”.

If we think God is not at work in our lives to will and to do of his good pleasure during the hard patches of life, we end up thinking that others are in charge of our life and not God. We will murmur in unbelief thinking that other people, not God are determining our circumstances and happiness.

We actually become idolaters because we reduce God down to the size of a small Sunday god, a quite time god or a good time only god. He may not have caused the hardship but He certainly can use while you are coming out of it.
Friend, the apostle understood God is always at work, so he says to his friends in lesser trouble, rejoice in the Lord always. The Lord is at work.

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